Building Regulations RegularisationFrom £845
How much does building regulations regularisation cost in London?
Regularising building work that was done without building regulations approval costs our fixed £845 in London, with the measured survey visit included. Building control charges its own fee, and any remedial work it asks for is a builder's cost, so the first thing we do is find out what is actually behind the plaster.
The short answer: our fee, then building control's
Our regularisation fee is £845. For that we measure what was built, draw it, prepare the written statement and description of the work that the application needs, and submit it to building control as your agent. If the inspector asks for further drawings or details, we deal with that.
Building control then charges for its own work, and the amount is set by each authority under its published charging scheme, so it varies by council. Any remedial work the inspector asks for, such as extra insulation or a new beam, is a builder's cost, and it is the cost that people most want to know in advance. We cannot know it before the work has been looked at, so we say so rather than guess.
- Our regularisation drawings
- £645
- Our measured survey visit
- £200
- Total
- £845
How regularisation works
Regulation 18 of the Building Regulations 2010 applies where unauthorised building work has been carried out on or after 11th November 1985. The owner may apply in writing with a statement that the application is made under the regulation, a description of the unauthorised work, so far as reasonably practicable a plan of it, and a plan of any additional work needed to make it comply.
That last plan is the point. If the work falls short, the application sets out what must be done to bring it up to standard, and the authority then decides whether to issue the certificate. We draw the survey of what is there first, then show any extra work the inspector is likely to ask for.
What a certificate is worth
A regularisation certificate is evidence (but not conclusive evidence) that the relevant requirements have been complied with. It is not a guarantee, but it is the document a buyer's solicitor expects to see where an extension or loft was built without approval.
Government guidance on approval warns that without it you will not have the certificates of compliance you may need when you want to sell. A regularisation certificate fills that gap, and arranging it before a sale avoids a delay during one.
Why not leave it alone
A council can serve a notice requiring the owner to pull down or alter work that breaks the regulations, and it can do so for 10 years from the date of completion. That is a long time on a house you may want to sell.
The same guidance adds that the person doing the work could be prosecuted and fined. We do not say that to frighten you. The application is how you find out whether the work needs anything doing to it.
Planning too
Regularisation covers the building regulations only. If the same work also went up without planning permission, that needs its own application, and our post on retrospective planning permission explains the process and its risks. The two are separate decisions by separate teams.
Our building regulations regularisation page shows the service, and our post on what building regulations drawings cost explains the ordinary route if you are building new work.
Sources
Every figure in this article, where it comes from and a link to the original.
- 11th November 1985: Building Regulations 2010 reg 18(1): (source wording: "unauthorised building work has been carried out on or after 11th November 1985"). www.legislation.gov.uk
- evidence (but not conclusive evidence): Building Regulations 2010 reg 18(6): (source wording: "A regularisation certificate shall be evidence (but not conclusive evidence) that the relevant requirements specified in the certificate have been complied with"). www.legislation.gov.uk
- 10 years from the date of completion: Building Act 1984 s36(4): a notice to remove or alter contravening work may not be given (source wording: "after the expiration of 10 years from the date of the completion of the work in question"). www.legislation.gov.uk
- the certificates of compliance you may need when you want to sell: GOV.UK Building regulations approval: (source wording: "Without approval you will not have the certificates of compliance you may need when you want to sell your home"). www.gov.uk
- prosecuted and fined: GOV.UK Building regulations approval: (source wording: "The person doing the work could be prosecuted and fined"). www.gov.uk
Questions people ask
Is building control's fee included in your price?
Do I pay VAT on your fee?
Will the work need opening up?
What if the work is older than 1985?
Does this cover planning permission?
Photographs: Tima Miroshnichenko (Pexels License); Brett Jordan (Pexels License).
Building Regulations Regularisation: a fixed fee from £845
Read more on the building regulations regularisation service page, or send your address below and we reply within one working day.
Building Regulations Regularisation
from £845
£645 drawings + £200 survey (£845 total)
Every price is the full fixed fee you pay. No VAT is charged. Council application fees are paid to the council separately.
What you get
- Measured survey of the unauthorised work, included in the fee
- Drawings of the work as built
- The written statement and description the application needs
- A plan of any extra work needed, where the inspector is likely to ask for it
- Submission to building control as your agent